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Get on board the internal comms juggernaut

May 18, 2012

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By: Keith Austin

Managing Director

Event Marketing Solutions Ltd

Juggernaut marketing? Put to one side your thoughts of the 1974 blockbuster starring Richard Harris and Omar Sharif. A juggernaut has its origins in Hindu worship. It’s an unstoppable force that deserves blind devotion.

I’m not saying that employees should worship the brand they work for - quite the reverse. Businesses should worship their people. And employee engagement programmes are back in the spotlight as the best route to keeping them truly motivated and informed.

Evolved, live communication campaigns can inspire that motivation - cutting through the clutter, and delivering deeper engagement and better results. Say ‘internal comms’ and traditional businesses think of a conference in a hotel, but more and more international companies are choosing to pioneer their face-to face employee engagement via branded, truck-based campaigns. It could be due to the current austere climate as our audiences become savvier and reject traditional communication.

So, when could you use a truck rather than a hotel or conference venue?

Every time, really. Here are eight maxims for choosing the juggernaut:

1. WORSHIP THEM It can be difficult to reach all of your people when the people have to travel to the brand, and it’s just not practical to invite all employees to an annual conference to hear your message. But you can deliver a more personal, engaging message very rapidly by taking it to employees in a roadshow truck. It minimises the impact on the business service, cuts out unnecessary staff travel costs and downtime and most importantly, you can connect with every stakeholder in the business.

2. PRAY FOR THE SAME If you have a complex programme of regional events to deliver, you want to make sure that employees at the first one have the same experience as those at the last. Conference venues vary, so it can be difficult to achieve a consistent quality result every time. Hosting your message in a branded vehicle allows you to replicate the experience for every employee, delivering a consistent business message at every site and in every country.

3. FORGET PREACHING We all know the business world doesn’t stop at 5pm, so how do you connect with employees who work unusual shift patterns? Not by making them turn up when they need to rest. Vehicle-based roadshow campaigns allow you to engage with everyone no matter what hours they work, by operating in the hours that you need to. That way you practice, not preach.

4. MAKELESS MORE Sure, you can pack a punch at an annual conference with a large audience, but it’s not all about creating a big effect - there’s more to employee engagement than putting on a knockout firework display. How can you really connect with them and increase the power of human interaction? By getting closer to your people and using the mobile environment. It’s there to deliver a more intimate message to smaller audiences of 30-50, compelling them to engage one-to-one with the brand.

5. INNOVATE B2B marketers, especially from a big tech brand, often have something complex that they need to launch to employees first and train them on before going out to customers. They say seeing is believing, but how can you create hands-on demonstration zones when you are presenting to thousands? Easy - by letting the truck create excitement everywhere it goes, drawing people in to use the space for important one-to- one product experiences and trials. And when it comes to message delivery, be creative with your presentation - think beyond the standard PowerPoint. Interactive AV messages will stimulate the senses and step up your employees’ knowledge retention.

6. GIVE BACK CSR is high on everyone’s agenda, and moving all your people to a central location to hear the message can be harmful to the environment (and costly). Companies can reduce their footprint and be greener by taking the message to the people. It means you avoid hundreds or thousands of staff having to travel off- site to unfamiliar locations.

7. KEEP UP MORALE

If you have difficult messages to convey to employees, an email or web link won’t bring them onside effectively. It’s too remote to truly engage. Much more effective is a strategy that allows people to take a break from their work station and switch to an immersive mobile environment with time for one to one contact. It helps raise morale, concentrates minds, and allows you to address employees in a sensitive manner.

8. MAKE IT AFFORDABLE When you compare a colleague roadshow campaign using one hardworking vehicle with multiple conference or hotel venues you will be surprised by how affordable it can be. You can make the budget go further by opening up the roadshow experience to customers and the local community – that way you really maximise ROI.

Don’t be afraid to break the mould and take your message directly to your people. Companies that engage positively face to face with employees will continue to achieve fantastic results, especially during times of change and challenge.